The new-gen Bentley Continental GT was introduced in 2017 and is now getting a celebratory limited edition model. The British carmaker is celebrating its 100th anniversary in July 2019 and as part of the celebrations has unveiled a new No.9 Edition of the luxury sports grand tourer.
As the name suggests, this limited edition features the No.9 across it, most notably on the massive front grille. The No.9 badging pays homage to the supercharged Bentley ‘Blower’ that was raced by Sir Henry Ralph Stanley ‘Tim’ Birkin at the 1930 Le Mans 24 Hours. He commissioned the production of a series of 4.5-litre Bentleys powered by a supercharger developed with independent engineer Amherst Villiers to increase the output from 110bhp to 175bhp. That green car became the iconic racing Bentley of the pre-war era.
Bentley’s special Mulliner division will be building 100 units of the No.9 Edition Continental GT. It will be offered in two colours – Viridian Green and Beluga Black, with 22-inch plus the Black Line Spec and carbon bodykit. The tribute elements in the limited edition model include a British Jaeger clock face inspired by the original No.9 ‘Blower’s’ dials and an ‘Engine Spin’ finish on the dashboard. Its rotating display features an interesting bit of ‘Blower’ memorabilia – a wood insert from the seat of the iconic 1930 No.9 Le Mans race car which was removed during a renovation and is situated in the centre dial.
The No.9 Edition is the twin-turbo W12 variant of the Continental GT that produces 626bhp and 900Nm which can jump from 0 to 100kph in just 3.7 seconds. While the regular Continental GT is a good looking model to begin with but the No.9 badging on the grille and carbon bodykit just adds that special something to it, especially in Beluga Black.
The Auto Loons 